30 Mar 2014

Multi Functional Studio Apartment Re-Visited

We wrote the original Article on the (13 Oct 2013) Multi Functional Studio Apartment (press the link to have a look) by Graham Hill. To summarise, this is a 420 square feet (39 m²) Apartment in New York, you can get 8 Room configurations by moving the walls and furniture around. The only fixed areas are the Kitchen and the Shower Room / WC. To see the original rooms in detail please refer to the original article and the Videos below, in this Article. The reason for the update is that it has just been put on the market for $995,000. The Apartment cost $287,000 to buy and it cost $365,000 to renovate. More information Videos and Pictures in the Article. Some of the images can be enlarged by pressing them watch out for the prompt below them.

Bed Area:

To get more of a feeling for the Apartment refer to the Videos and the Floor Plans below.

Video Layout:

This video shows the general layout with the main room arrangements.

Open Plan Layout:Press the Image to Enlarge it.

As you can see in this configuration, the space does not look too cramped for 1 to 2 people, with a full size Kitchen and plenty of storage area that covers most of the perimeter of the flat. The Shower / WC is compact but very functional with a separate door to the WC. I don't think that you are going to get feeling of spaciousness in it, but it is functional and very well designed to maximise the area. The sofa is a large one that makes entertaining, in such a reduced space, a comfortable experience. Windows on either side of the apartment ensure good natural lighting and ventilation thanks to the cross breeze.

Open Plan Layout with Dining Area:Press the Image to Enlarge it.

This floor Plan shows how comfortably you can sit 10 people in the foldable table shown in the video below. As you will see the table opens with a concertina movement and the chairs are designed to stack one on the other and are stored in the cupboard.

Sleeping Areas with Curtain:Press the Image to Enlarge it.

This is the layout you would adopt in case you have guests, at the bottom of the picture the master bed is pulled down and rests above the sofa, the wall is brought forward and bunk-beds are dropped to accommodate 2 guests. Curtains can be drawn to provide a bit more privacy, you can look at them as a flexible wall. See the demonstration in the videos.

Sleeping Areas with Curtain Hidden:Press the Image to Enlarge it.

In this final Floor Plan, the wall is still moved down but the bunk-beds, the master bed and the curtains are recessed to give a better view of the separation of the main room. If you have two people living there, you have two working areas that are separated to allow for more concentration.

This video shows a bit more details, including cupboard space and the expandable dining table that can seat 10 people. The video is being used as part package to sell the Apartment.

Toilet and Kitchen Animation:

This is an Animated Gif that shows the Kitchen, the Shower / Toilet and the light and airy feeling this flat gets from the numerous windows and the overall white reflecting surfaces in the apartment.

Construction Work:

Above is an Animated Gif showing the Construction Work that took place in the apartment, as we said in the main section, it is estimated to be in the region of $365,000.

All this moving can look at first, like a lot of messing around that eventually would get very tiring, but you don't have guests staying over all the time, you don't have friends around for dinner every day, so if there are only two of you, you can eat at the table, in its compact form, next to the kitchen counter. The only thing that has to be constantly folded back is the bed, every morning and every night it has to be folded in and out. I think you can live with it if you have to, but if you are paying $995,000 you might be less likely to want to make compromises. What do you think? If you had the money to pay for this Apartment would you buy it? Let us know at the bottom of the article in the comment section.